Bloomington Police Department Chief Brendan Heffner has a lot on his mind these days, but Friday morning, he was focused on coffee, some good community conversation, and maybe a little pre-season Chicago baseball rivalry.
Representatives of the BPD, the Normal and Illinois State University police departments, and the McLean County Sheriff’s Department launched “Coffee With a Cop” at Bloomington’s Brock Drive McDonald’s. Heffner hopes to make the open-invitation kaffeeklatsch a monthly occasion.
He hailed the recent Breaking Barriers police-public dialogue co-sponsored by Not In Our Town: Bloomington-Normal, arguing the benefits that accrue “any time you can get the community together to discuss things, even when it’s things of a sensitive nature.” While that forum focused on community concerns about public encounters with police in Ferguson and other locales, recently released statements made by a Bloomington police sergeant, and prospects for minority recruitment by local police agencies, the chief saw a more fundamental purpose for Friday’s more casual get-together – to show the public the human face “beyond the badge.”
“I don’t know anybody who wears a uniform who intentionally goes out to do wrong,” Heffner stressed. “Sometimes, you have some bad apples, but the majority of the times, the majority of all of us are out there trying to do the right thing for the community.
“(Coffee With a Cop) is a way for people to get to know us as human beings and regular people, a way for people to understand that we are human, and to build a rapport.”
McDonald’s volunteered the site for the first coffee, but Heffner said further get-togethers will be scheduled at various venues, depending on public “response and turnout.” He invited the public to suggest sites and times for follow-up coffees.
Meanwhile, Heffner welcomes the arrival of warmer weather and the opportunity to talk with community members “out and around,” both to build rapport “and deter some crime.”
The BPD and others already have been participating in bimonthly meetings of Minority And Police Partnership, and Heffner reported police representatives have regularly visited churches, “invited and sometimes not invited,” to keep in touch with community needs and concerns.
In addition, the department plans in April to launch a new educational outreach, with a program designed “to give the public a taste of what we do and why, and maybe help them see some things from a different perspective.”
“We can all make mistakes,” Heffner admitted. “We all try to do our best. It’s unfortunate that sometimes, we make mistakes. Our mistakes are always in the news. But I don’t think some people realize the decisions we have to make under the circumstances, and the short timeframe we have to make a decision, which often can be in a split second.
“Just as we learn of people’s viewpoints, maybe about seeing things in another light, I think this would be good for the public, too. We all benefit when we communicate, by talking and learning from each other.”
During the January Breaking Barriers session, Heffner emphasized his hope for greater diversity with his department through increased minority recruiting. BPD new officer testing is being conducted this month, and while he admits he has no specific “benchmarks” for recruitment, he reported the BPD has received some minority applications. He nonetheless stressed the department fundamentally “will still be enforcing the law the same way,” albeit amid continued efforts to fine-tune local police practices and procedures.
That includes both basic and individualized special training in dealing with and judging when to use force with mentally ill suspects and under other unusual or sensitive circumstances. Familiarity with the community and individuals with special needs can help officers better “defuse” a risky situation, Heffner said. But “we still have to be concerned about preservation of life” when a suspect poses an imminent threat to others or even themselves, he said.
In the wake of the recent incident involving release of racially related statements made by a BPD sergeant and recorded by a Bloomington police in-car camera, the chief has urged his men to exercise professional sensitivity in all communications, whether they are “recorded or not recorded.” In Sgt. Ed Shumaker’s written reprimand, the BPD stated he “should be very aware of his surroundings and situational awareness while not allowing the stressor of an event to cause a comment that would be considered inappropriate."
“You want to talk about us being transparent?” Heffner posed. “We’re the ones who found (the statement), and we’re the ones who took action. People may not like the action that we took, but we did. We’ve been accountable for it. This was something to learn from – I’ve been talking about professionalism since I came here, and I’ve said this is an example of what can happen. We take the heat, but we learn from it.”
“I don’t know anybody who wears a uniform who intentionally goes out to do wrong,” Heffner stressed. “Sometimes, you have some bad apples, but the majority of the times, the majority of all of us are out there trying to do the right thing for the community.
“(Coffee With a Cop) is a way for people to get to know us as human beings and regular people, a way for people to understand that we are human, and to build a rapport.”
McDonald’s volunteered the site for the first coffee, but Heffner said further get-togethers will be scheduled at various venues, depending on public “response and turnout.” He invited the public to suggest sites and times for follow-up coffees.
Meanwhile, Heffner welcomes the arrival of warmer weather and the opportunity to talk with community members “out and around,” both to build rapport “and deter some crime.”
The BPD and others already have been participating in bimonthly meetings of Minority And Police Partnership, and Heffner reported police representatives have regularly visited churches, “invited and sometimes not invited,” to keep in touch with community needs and concerns.
In addition, the department plans in April to launch a new educational outreach, with a program designed “to give the public a taste of what we do and why, and maybe help them see some things from a different perspective.”
“(Coffee With a Cop) is a way for people to get to know us as human beings and regular people, a way for people to understand that we are human, and to build a rapport.”
McDonald’s volunteered the site for the first coffee, but Heffner said further get-togethers will be scheduled at various venues, depending on public “response and turnout.” He invited the public to suggest sites and times for follow-up coffees.
Meanwhile, Heffner welcomes the arrival of warmer weather and the opportunity to talk with community members “out and around,” both to build rapport “and deter some crime.”
The BPD and others already have been participating in bimonthly meetings of Minority And Police Partnership, and Heffner reported police representatives have regularly visited churches, “invited and sometimes not invited,” to keep in touch with community needs and concerns.
In addition, the department plans in April to launch a new educational outreach, with a program designed “to give the public a taste of what we do and why, and maybe help them see some things from a different perspective.”
“We can all make mistakes,” Heffner admitted. “We all try to do our best. It’s unfortunate that sometimes, we make mistakes. Our mistakes are always in the news. But I don’t think some people realize the decisions we have to make under the circumstances, and the short timeframe we have to make a decision, which often can be in a split second.
“Just as we learn of people’s viewpoints, maybe about seeing things in another light, I think this would be good for the public, too. We all benefit when we communicate, by talking and learning from each other.”
During the January Breaking Barriers session, Heffner emphasized his hope for greater diversity with his department through increased minority recruiting. BPD new officer testing is being conducted this month, and while he admits he has no specific “benchmarks” for recruitment, he reported the BPD has received some minority applications. He nonetheless stressed the department fundamentally “will still be enforcing the law the same way,” albeit amid continued efforts to fine-tune local police practices and procedures.
That includes both basic and individualized special training in dealing with and judging when to use force with mentally ill suspects and under other unusual or sensitive circumstances. Familiarity with the community and individuals with special needs can help officers better “defuse” a risky situation, Heffner said. But “we still have to be concerned about preservation of life” when a suspect poses an imminent threat to others or even themselves, he said.
In the wake of the recent incident involving release of racially related statements made by a BPD sergeant and recorded by a Bloomington police in-car camera, the chief has urged his men to exercise professional sensitivity in all communications, whether they are “recorded or not recorded.” In Sgt. Ed Shumaker’s written reprimand, the BPD stated he “should be very aware of his surroundings and situational awareness while not allowing the stressor of an event to cause a comment that would be considered inappropriate."
“You want to talk about us being transparent?” Heffner posed. “We’re the ones who found (the statement), and we’re the ones who took action. People may not like the action that we took, but we did. We’ve been accountable for it. This was something to learn from – I’ve been talking about professionalism since I came here, and I’ve said this is an example of what can happen. We take the heat, but we learn from it.”
“I don’t know anybody who wears a uniform who intentionally goes out to do wrong,” Heffner stressed. “Sometimes, you have some bad apples, but the majority of the times, the majority of all of us are out there trying to do the right thing for the community.
“(Coffee With a Cop) is a way for people to get to know us as human beings and regular people, a way for people to understand that we are human, and to build a rapport.”
McDonald’s volunteered the site for the first coffee, but Heffner said further get-togethers will be scheduled at various venues, depending on public “response and turnout.” He invited the public to suggest sites and times for follow-up coffees.
Meanwhile, Heffner welcomes the arrival of warmer weather and the opportunity to talk with community members “out and around,” both to build rapport “and deter some crime.”
The BPD and others already have been participating in bimonthly meetings of Minority And Police Partnership, and Heffner reported police representatives have regularly visited churches, “invited and sometimes not invited,” to keep in touch with community needs and concerns.
In addition, the department plans in April to launch a new educational outreach, with a program designed “to give the public a taste of what we do and why, and maybe help them see some things from a different perspective.”
“We all benefit when we communicate, by talking and learning from each other...”
“We can all make mistakes,” Heffner admitted. “We all try to do our best. It’s unfortunate that sometimes, we make mistakes. Our mistakes are always in the news. But I don’t think some people realize the decisions we have to make under the circumstances, and the short timeframe we have to make a decision, which often can be in a split second.
“Just as we learn of people’s viewpoints, maybe about seeing things in another light, I think this would be good for the public, too. We all benefit when we communicate, by talking and learning from each other.”
During the January Breaking Barriers session, Heffner emphasized his hope for greater diversity with his department through increased minority recruiting. BPD new officer testing is being conducted this month, and while he admits he has no specific “benchmarks” for recruitment, he reported the BPD has received some minority applications. He nonetheless stressed the department fundamentally “will still be enforcing the law the same way,” albeit amid continued efforts to fine-tune local police practices and procedures.
That includes both basic and individualized special training in dealing with and judging when to use force with mentally ill suspects and under other unusual or sensitive circumstances. Familiarity with the community and individuals with special needs can help officers better “defuse” a risky situation, Heffner said. But “we still have to be concerned about preservation of life” when a suspect poses an imminent threat to others or even themselves, he said.
In the wake of the recent incident involving release of racially related statements made by a BPD sergeant and recorded by a Bloomington police in-car camera, the chief has urged his men to exercise professional sensitivity in all communications, whether they are “recorded or not recorded.” In Sgt. Ed Shumaker’s written reprimand, the BPD stated he “should be very aware of his surroundings and situational awareness while not allowing the stressor of an event to cause a comment that would be considered inappropriate."
“You want to talk about us being transparent?” Heffner posed. “We’re the ones who found (the statement), and we’re the ones who took action. People may not like the action that we took, but we did. We’ve been accountable for it. This was something to learn from – I’ve been talking about professionalism since I came here, and I’ve said this is an example of what can happen. We take the heat, but we learn from it.”